20:24 다윗이 들에 숨으니라 초하루가 되매 왕이 앉아 음식을 먹을 때에
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat.
20:25 왕은 평시와 같이 벽 곁 자기 자리에 앉아 있고 요나단은 서 있고 아브넬은 사울 곁에 앉아 있고 다윗의 자리는 비었더라
25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.
20:26 그러나 그 날에는 사울이 아무 말도 하지 아니하였으니 이는 생각하기를 그에게 무슨 사고가 있어서 부정한가보다 정녕히 부정한가보다 하였음이더니
26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
20:27 이튿날 곧 그 달의 둘째 날에도 다윗의 자리가 여전히 비었으므로 사울이 그의 아들 요나단에게 묻되 이새의 아들이 어찌하여 어제와 오늘 식사에 나오지 아니하느냐 하니
27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
20:28 요나단이 사울에게 대답하되 다윗이 내게 베들레헴으로 가기를 간청하여
28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.
20:29 이르되 원하건대 나에게 가게 하라 우리 가족이 그 성읍에서 제사할 일이 있으므로 나의 형이 내게 오기를 명령하였으니 내가 네게 사랑을 받거든 내가 가서 내 형들을 보게 하라 하였으므로 그가 왕의 식사 자리에 오지 아니하였나이다 하니
29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
20:30 사울이 요나단에게 화를 내며 그에게 이르되 패역무도한 계집의 소생아 네가 이새의 아들을 택한 것이 네 수치와 네 어미의 벌거벗은 수치 됨을 내가 어찌 알지 못하랴
30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?
20:31 이새의 아들이 땅에 사는 동안은 너와 네 나라가 든든히 서지 못하리라 그런즉 이제 사람을 보내어 그를 내게로 끌어 오라 그는 죽어야 할 자이니라 한지라
31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
20:32 요나단이 그의 아버지 사울에게 대답하여 이르되 그가 죽을 일이 무엇이니이까 무엇을 행하였나이까
32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father.
20:33 사울이 요나단에게 단창을 던져 죽이려 한지라 요나단이 그의 아버지가 다윗을 죽이기로 결심한 줄 알고
33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.
20:34 심히 노하여 식탁에서 떠나고 그 달의 둘째 날에는 먹지 아니하였으니 이는 그의 아버지가 다윗을 욕되게 하였으므로 다윗을 위하여 슬퍼함이었더라
34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.
There is a book called the Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This book was published in 1971, and a couple of years ago, they sold the 3 millionth copy. This is a true story of Dutch Christian Corrie Ten Boom and her family’s events that happened during World War II. During this time of war, Corrie and her family hid Jews from Nazis but got caught doing it. So, the Nazis sent her and her family to a concentration camp. Although they were in a bad situation, they still stood firm in their faith. Corrie, with her sister Betsie by her side, began to do secret bible studies and prayer meetings with the others who were in that concentration camp. During this time, Corrie never lost hope and kept her faith that God will be with her. This one day, her and her family were sent to a barracks full of fleas. At first, they were disgusted by the fleas and struggled to find comfort. However, Betsie remembered to be thankful in all circumstances and began to thank the fleas. Eventually, these fleas became a blessing in disguise. The guards avoided this barrack due to the fleas, which allowed Corrie and Betsie to have these secret prayer meetings and bible studies without any interruption. Although everything must have been scary and uncomfortable, how were Corrie and Betsie able to keep their hope and stand firm in their faith?
We see a couple of people who stood firm in their faith through the scriptures today: Jonathan and David. So, let’s look at what happened from verse 24.
So, we see there is a New Moon Feast. And King Saul is in his place, while Jonathan was there, Abner was there, but David was not there. Where was he? He was hiding in the field. It was essentially a test from David and Jonathan whether Saul wanted David dead or not.
And at first, Saul didn’t think much of it. Saul said in verse 26 “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean” We see in Leviticus 22:3,
“if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from my presence.”
Because this New Moon Feast was about sacrificing to the Lord, the Israelites who came to this feast had to be clean.
But normally if they were ceremonially unclean, it would last just a day.
And in verse 27, we see King Saul not coming him by David but calling him the son of Jesse when he says “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?
King Saul was getting angry and was emphasizing his lowly birth and ignoring the relationship that bound him to the royal family.
And later between verses 30-31, King Saul gets even more mad that Jonathan is siding with his best friend David rather than his own father.
And we see King Saul’s honest response of what he wanted to do all along. In Verse 31, Saul said "Now, send someone to bring him to me, for he must die.”
However, all throughout this ordeal, we see Jonathan not only covering for David, but defending his faith. He is defending the right in this cause. This wasn’t just Jonathan covering David because they were best friends. It was based on what was right before the Lord.
For Corrie Ten Boom and her family, it was right for them to hide the Jews from the Nazis. It was right for them to hold prayer meetings and bible studies under horrible situations.
How did Jonathan know what was right before the Lord? How did Corrie know what was right before the Lord?
The answer is very basic and simple. It is through prayer and the word of God. If we don’t know the bible, then we don’t know what is right for God. We can’t just know what’s right for God by just coming to church and listening to sermons.
There is an ex-worship pastor on TikTok who is now making songs from verses that sound horrible by itself with no background. In one of his videos, he is taking 1 Samuel 15:3, “Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” and made it into a song. Of course, if you only listen to this verse, it’s going to sound terrible. God wants to kill everyone? But whenever we look at anything, we need the context. We need the background.
Saul from the very beginning only listened to God in parts. He never fully obeyed.
Remember when God told Saul to destroy the Amalekites. That verse that I just told you
about which said do not spare them. Put to death to everyone. That was about the
Amalekites. God commanded this because they were wicked. But what did Saul do? Yes
he did defeat the Amalekites but he brought back their King and brought back the “best
cattle”. And told God, look I obeyed you! I did. I just did it a little differently.
Brothers and sisters, is this obeying? Is this what was right before the Lord?
No partly obeying is not obedience. It is disobedience. No matter how small it is off by,
it is still disobedience.
So I challenge you today to focus on the word of God and prayer and do what is right
before the Lord completely obeying him.
Comments